The Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd Dr Steven Croft, has announced he will retire next July.
After 10 years as diocesan bishop for the Diocese of Oxford, Bishop Steven will lay down his crozier at a service at Christ Church Cathedral on 31 May. Bishop Steven’s retirement means he will also step down from his place in the House of Lords.
Reflecting on 17 years as a Bishop, seven of them in Sheffield and latterly here in Oxford, Bishop Steven said: “It has been and remains an immense joy and privilege to serve as Bishop of Oxford and I am deeply thankful for God’s grace in so many different people and communities across the diocese.
“My own retirement from this role will come shortly after my 69th birthday and therefore in my 70th year. By God’s grace, it will mark exactly a decade as Bishop of Oxford and 17 years as a Diocesan Bishop in two very different dioceses, including 13 years as a member of the House of Lords. This has been and remains an enormously privileged role in which I have learned so much from so many lay and ordained colleagues, past and present.
“I am deeply thankful for the ministries of so many people called to sustain the life and mission of churches, chaplaincies and schools across Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. I have appreciated so many opportunities to interact with so many civic, university and faith leaders across our three counties.”
In 2009, Bishop Steven was consecrated as Bishop of Sheffield and was translated to the See of Oxford in July 2016.
In his inauguration sermon he said, "we are called to be the Church of the Beatitudes: to know that we are blessed and to seek always to be a blessing to the communities we serve". This calling became known in the diocese as our common vision to become a more Christ-like Church.
Bishop Steven became a member of the House of Lords in October 2013 and was a member of the Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence in 2017.
He was a founding board member for the UK Government’s Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation, and writes extensively on issues of online safety and digital ethics. Bishop Steven also speaks passionately both on his blog and in the House of Lords on the need to make gig economy a fairer, safer environment, particularly for the sake of today's young adults.
A leading advocate of fossil fuel divestment within the national Church, in April 2021 Bishop Steven was among 13 peers appointed to the Lords Select Committee for the environment and climate change. Bishop Steven has previously called for "nothing less than an ecological conversion of every person and every part of society".
In 2022, Bishop Steven published Together in Love and Faith, in doing so he became the most senior figure in the Church of England to support same-sex marriage.
Sir Hector Sants, Chairman of the Oxford Diocesan Board of Finance, said:
“We give thanks to God for Bishop Steven’s faithful ministry over the past 10 years. He has embodied our vision to become a more Christ-like church and has led with contemplation, compassion and courage. Next May we will say goodbye to Bishop Steven with love and appreciation for all he has done, and wish him well in his deserved retirement.
“We are in a good position to begin the process of discernment for Bishop Steven’s successor and we would ask for your prayers for this important work.”
Bishop Steven was ordained in 1983 and went on to serve in Enfield, London, before returning to Yorkshire in 1987 as vicar of St George’s, Ovenden in Halifax. Roles as Warden of Cranmer Hall theological college in Durham and Archbishops’ Missioner followed. During his time working with the Rt Revd Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury at the time, Bishop Steven oversaw the emergence of Fresh Expressions, encouraging new ways of being Church in the 21st century, now a significant part of the life in the Church of England.
As Bishop of Sheffield, he served as one of two elected Bishops to the Archbishops’ Council and Chair of the Ministry Division, overseeing the introduction of the Common Awards for theological education. He is currently co-chair of the Anglican Communion Science Commission.
Bishop Steven has been married to Ann for over 47 years. Ann has worked as a nurse and a nursery nurse and as a volunteer with parent and toddler groups for many years, most recently in Kidlington. Ann and Steven have four adult children and nine grandchildren.
A Vacancy in See Committee will carry out the first stages of the process to discern who the next Bishop of Oxford should be. People living within the Diocese of Oxford will also be consulted on what they want from their Diocesan Bishop. Opportunities to contribute will be publicised via the diocesan website. After Bishop Steven retires, Bishop Gavin, the Bishop of Dorchester, will assume the duties of the Bishop of Oxford.
Bishop Steven will continue to write on his Substack.
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Notes to Editor
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About Bishop Steven
About the Diocese of Oxford
The Diocese of Oxford is the Church of England in the Thames Valley region of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. There are over 800 churches in 609 parishes, the largest number of churches of any diocese in the Church of England. The diocese is also home to 284 schools and academies educating some 60,000 pupils.
About the process to find the next Bishop of Oxford
The Vacancy in See Committee, made up of 49 clergy and lay representatives from across the diocese, has two main roles.
One is to work to create a Statement of Needs, which sets out what the diocese needs. This will be informed by a consultation across the diocese, which is expected to begin in January 2026.
The second is to identify diocesan representatives. The Vacancy in See Committee will meet for the first time in early December.
The Vacancy in See Committee elect six of their number to form the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) – with the two Archbishops and six members elected nationally – who will then draw up the specification, taking account of the Statement of Needs. They also interview the candidates and then make a recommendation to His Majesty the King, via the Prime Minister.
This process takes time, and it combines both a robust governance process and a prayerful period of learning who God is calling into the role.